The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1887-03-04
DOMESTIC ECONOMY
Arrangement Of the HOUSE 70 save Steps
Instructions 20 Mako smyFns Bags.
Quilting Frames Not Necessity, Accord
Ing 20 Good Authority.
NUMBER 81
sTEP-sAYERs.

6TEP-SAYERs.
A correspondent Of the Ladies' Homo
Companion writes As follows about
step-savers: / was lately in very pref
tily furnished house, where everything
was arranged to save steps In the
parlor, on one side Of the crate, sus-
pended from q brass hook In the man
tel, there hung beautiful bag Of silk
patchwork. II was some eighteen inches
long by six wide. with o pointed Zap
one-third the depth Of the bag, which
fell over and concealed the mouth Of
the bag. The foundation was of silesia,
and the lower part Of the bag was Of
inch squares black velvet and scarlet
silk. The flap was Of the scarlet, with
applique figures cut from black velvet
and put on with gold-colored floss A
handsome chenille ornament was at
the point of the flap, and brass cur
tain ring Of good proportions served TO
hang 1t by. This held the parlor-dust
cloth, which was an old, soft silk hand
kerchief, which makes the best Of dust
ers for fine furniture.
On the opposite side of the mantel
there was long-handled whisk-broom,
with gIlded handle. But about six
inches "a little below the middle) there
was a velvet band Just where the hand
would grasp it A scarlet ribbon
served to suspend il from . brass hook
Just above it was . dust-pan case. Il
was shaped like an envelope, about
twelve inches square, with pointed
flap. II was Of green Nonpareil velvet.
There was q small bunch Of apple bios
SONS painted on the Zap and quite
spray on the lower part The bag was
lined with drilling and was highly orna-
mental
In every room in this house saw q
little broom and dust-cloth bag and
dust-pan case. Most of them were COW
cred with cretonne to match the color
ing of the room.
'.It must have taken q good deal Of
time to make all these things" said ]
to my friend.
mot so much as it does to run to the
kitchen every time such articles are
needed, and then carry them back; be-
sides think Of the saving Of shoes and
carpets, to say nothing Of flesh and
muscle"
IuuSb Uol dDOut LILO PECtty CIOoot
door Innings in my friends house. In
her sitting-room there was q closet
reaching to the ceiling. There were
two sets of doors One set three feet
from the floor and the other from there
70 the ceiling. The children were al
ways going to the closet for something
or other and it annoyed my friend ex-
ceedingly to have the doors left ajar.
So she devised o decoration which
should really make the room prettier
for having the doors open. She took
asphaltum Varnish and vanished the
inside of the doors, excepting the panel;
this was covered with beautiful furni-
ture calico, having black background.
It was tackled on 80 neatly with tiny
furniture tacks that il had the appear
ance of being painted Now to con-
ceal the contents of the shelves curtains
Were necessary, and to give room to
close the doors a piece Of each shelf q
quarter OF an inch deep was removed.
The curtains were of turkey-red calico,
quite full; one to each shelf; small brass
curtain rings were sewed to them and
they were hung on iron rods, painted
with gold powder. Anything prettier
than this arrangement i have never
seen. and / am sure if you once caught
a glimpse of the opened door, ever after
that when you were in the room you
would wish some careless child would